Tow head for agricultural implement and agricultural implement

ABSTRACT

A tow head for agricultural implements, particularly those intended for the distribution of seeds, composts, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides in the field, is designed to promote a structural reinforcement that heightens resistance and, accordingly, improve the conditions of operation of these agricultural equipment. More particularly, a tow head for agricultural implements is formed by a telescopic center bar from which angularly designed sidebars are projected from the coupling end, and which are connected to the respective side wings of the structural chassis of the agricultural implement, and the sidebars are endowed with a reinforcement that is fixed along at least part of the longitudinal length of each sidebar.

FIELD

The present disclosure refers, in general, to a new proposal for a towhead to be used in agricultural implements, particularly for so-calledplanters and seeders, and the tow head comprises technical,constructive, and functional characteristics designed and developed topromote a structural reinforcement that heightens resistance and,accordingly, promotes better operating conditions of this agriculturalequipment.

The present disclosure also refers to a new agricultural implement, suchas a planter or sower, which comprises this newly proposed tow head.

BACKGROUND

Several models of agricultural implements are known in the state of theart, for example planters and sowers that are used for the distributionof seeds, composts, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and fungicideson the planting lines in the field. As persons skilled in the art willappreciate, these types of agricultural implements can be of theself-propelled type or not, and in the latter case, are towed by a workvehicle, for example, a tractor.

Usually, these implements have a rigid structural chassis that ismounted on gears installed at strategic points to allow theirdisplacement, and this structural chassis also supports a plurality ofplanting line units that are installed longitudinally along the entirelength of the structural chassis, each planting line unit beingresponsible for cutting the straw, opening a groove in the soil,applying compost/fertilizer, depositing the seeds at a desired depth,covering the groove and compacting the soil. Usually, these implementsalso include silos and tanks for the storage of seeds, composts,fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that end up alsobeing supported by this structural chassis.

Due to technological developments and the ability to increaseproductivity with the significant rise in the number of planting lineunits supported by the structural chassis of these agriculturalimplements, it was observed that the dimensions, but mainly the width ofagricultural implements, became considerably large, restricting andpreventing movement outside the planting areas, for example, on roadsand highways. To this end, those large and high capacity agriculturalimplements have become composed of segments that can be retracted,folded to somehow reduce the width and allow the safe transport thereof.

By way of example, some models called “front fold” are known in thestate of the art or also called “self-transportable or articulatedplanters”. As persons skilled in the art will appreciate, these modelsof equipment are configured so that the side structures of the chassis,or side wings, can be bent or retracted forward, up or any position inorder to reduce the width of the agricultural implement and thus promotebetter transport conditions.

Particularly in the case of these front fold planters, these side wingsare folded or retracted through a dynamic head, which is configured topromote a telescopic displacement of their structure to thus provide theopening and closing of the side wings. Therefore, as persons skilled inthe art will appreciate, the large planters and seeders of great sizeand high productivity known in the state of the art comprise a headformed by a telescopic central bar from which sidebars are projectedangularly outward and whose ends of these sidebars are mounted onrespective side wings. Accordingly, at the moment when the telescopiccentral bar is extended, the sidebars end up, in a way, pulling therespective side wings that perform a movement of closing or recoil and,with this, placing the agricultural implement in the closedconfiguration for transport. On the other hand, when the telescopiccentral bar performs the retraction movement, the sidebars end uppushing and causing the opening of the side wings, configuring theagricultural implement in an operating condition.

During these operations of opening and closing the side wings, a greatrisk was noted that these sidebars of the tow head do not resist thestrain and, depending on the conditions of the terrain where theseoperations are being performed of opening and closing the side wings,they can be significant to the point of affecting these sidebars, forexample, causing the buckling or bending/arching of the bars and,accordingly, requiring eventual maintenance stops that, in the end,affect the productivity of the work and the harvest as a whole.

An option considered in the state of the art to avoid this type ofdrawback would be to increase the dimensions of the sidebars to heightenthe resistance. However, in practice, it was found unfeasible to applythis solution, since the dimensional increase of these sidebars wouldcompromise the proper functioning of the equipment, as it would affectother mechanisms and parts of the agricultural implement, and may evenrequire an overall project review, which proved impractical consideringthat the cost-benefit ratio was not motivating.

Thus, as can be seen, the agricultural implements, of the planter andsower type, known in the state of the art, lack a practical, functional,and principally an efficient solution, which makes it possible to obtainmore resistant tow heads and, at the same time, with the ability toavoid any structural deformation usually caused by buckling loads duringthe processes of opening and closing the side wings of large plantersand seeders.

Thus, it was found that the proposals known in the state of the art toimprove and heighten the resistance of the sidebars of the tow heads,particularly during the processes of opening and closing the side wings,were not efficient, and may compromise the work operations of theseagricultural implements, which, in the end, end up affecting theproductivity of the activities and the interests of farmers. Therefore,these are, among others, the drawbacks and limitations that are intendedto be solved with the development of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Therefore, according to the above, the objective of the presentdisclosure is to provide a new proposal for the tow head foragricultural implements, particularly those intended for thedistribution of seeds, composts, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides,and fungicides in the field, such as planters and seeders, and this newtow head was designed and developed to obtain a practical solution,functional and efficient to the problems, limitations, and drawbacksdisclosed in the state of the art, as summarized above.

More particularly, it is one of the objectives of the present disclosureto provide a new tow head for agricultural implements that comprisestechnical, constructive, and functional characteristics capable ofsignificantly heightening the resistance of the sidebars that assist inthe opening and closing of the side wings of the agricultural implementsto improve the operating conditions, but mainly avoid structuraldeformation caused by the common buckling loads that these heads end upundergoing during the operations of opening and closing the wings, butalso during the process of depositing material as the agriculturalimplement moves along the field.

It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide an agriculturalimplement, intended for the distribution of seeds, composts,fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides in the field, suchas a planter, sower, composter or a sprayer, which comprises a tow headas commented above.

Therefore, in order to achieve the technical and functional improvementssummarized above, among others, the present disclosure refers to a newproposal for the tow head of an agricultural implement, and the tow headis essentially formed by a telescopic central bar from which angularlydesigned sidebars are projected from the coupling end, and which areconnected to the respective side wings of the structural chassis of theagricultural implement, and each sidebar comprises a reinforcementfastened along at least part of the longitudinal length of the sidebar.

According to a particular embodiment of the present disclosure, eachreinforcement fastened along at least part of the longitudinal extent ofthe respective sidebar may comprise a structure with an angledconfiguration. More particularly, the reinforcement may be, for example,a corner including a V-shaped folded plate.

Additionally, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure,each reinforcement can be applied on ¾ of the total length of therespective sidebar.

According to a further particular embodiment of the present disclosure,each reinforcement is fixed on the respective sidebar by means ofappropriate welds.

Also, according to another embodiment of the tow head, object of thepresent disclosure, each reinforcement can be equipped with supports forfastening and assembling the hydraulic hose clamps of the hydraulicsystem of agricultural implements. Optionally, each support can befitted with a hole and include a respective plate associated with thereinforcement.

Also, as mentioned above, the present disclosure refers to anagricultural implement, which is configured for distribution of seeds,composts, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides in thefield, and which comprises a structural chassis supported by at leastone wheelset and also has tool bars on which are installed severalplanting line units, in which this structural chassis can be formed by acentral section and side wings. The structural chassis is configured tobe arranged in a condition of transport and in a condition of operationor work, and this agricultural implement comprises a tow head as definedabove.

According to a possible embodiment of the present disclosure, theagricultural implement can comprise over 40 (forty) planting line unitsdistributed along the longitudinal length of the central section andside wings.

Finally, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, thisagricultural implement can be, for example, a planter, a sower, acomposter, or a sprayer.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an agricultural implementmodel that can comprise the new tow head according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sidebars of the tow head associatedwith the respective side wings, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 is another view in a schematic perspective of one of the sidebarsof the tow head, according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a section of the sidebar ofthe tow head, according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a front view of the sidebar of the tow head, according to thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed below. In an effort to provide a concise description of theseembodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not bedescribed in the specification. It should be appreciated that in thedevelopment of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering ordesign project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be madeto achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance withsystem-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from oneimplementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that sucha development effort might be complex and time consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, andmanufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of thisdisclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended tomean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Anyexamples of operating parameters and/or environmental conditions are notexclusive of other parameters/conditions of the disclosed embodiments.

Now, with reference to the accompanying drawings and, more specifically,FIG. 1 , an agricultural implement 10 is represented, which is used inthe distribution of seeds, composts, fertilizers, herbicides,pesticides, and fungicides on the planting lines in the field, such asso-called planters and seeders. The agricultural implement 10 isconfigured to be towed along the field by a work vehicle, such as, forexample, a tractor. As persons skilled in the art will appreciate, theseagricultural implement models 10 are formed by a tow head 12 designedto, on the one hand, engage the work vehicle, and on the other hand,sustain the structural chassis 16 that is mounted on at least onewheelset 18 and also has tool bars 20 in which are installed severalplanting line units 22.

Each planting line unit 22 can include a connection structure, one ormore opening disks 24 configured to form a seed groove in the soil, andthe penetration depth of these opening disks 24 is adjusted andcontrolled by means of regulatory wheels 25. Furthermore, the plantingline unit 22 may include a system for the distribution of agriculturalproducts (e.g. seed tubes or motorized distributors of agriculturalproducts) configured to deposit seeds and/or other agricultural products(e.g. composts, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, etc.)in the groove of seeds formed in the soil. In addition, the plantingline unit 22 may include cover disk(s) 26 and/or a compacting wheelpositioned at the back of the planting line unit 22. As persons skilledin the art will appreciate, the cover disks 26 are configured to movethe displaced soil back to the seed groove, and the compacting wheel isconfigured to firm the soil and provide better contact conditionsbetween the seeds and the soil.

The agricultural implement 10 also includes silos or tanks 32 intendedfor the storage of seeds and/or compost/fertilizer, and in the case oflarge and high capacity planters, or also called “front fold”, thisagricultural equipment is configured so that the side structures of thechassis 16 ₁, 16 ₂, also known as side wings, can be retracted or foldedforward to provide better transport conditions, these silos or tanks 32are usually positioned in the central part of the structural chassis 16,and are connected by a pneumatic system to the planting line units 22 toprovide the correct distribution of seeds, composts, fertilizers,herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides in the field.

An agricultural implement 10, as described in this document, may, as areference, be a planter model produced by CNH INDUSTRIAL®,commercialized under the CASE IH® and NEW HOLLAND® marks.

The terms referred to herein such as agricultural implement, planter,seeder and its variants are used indistinctly to designate equipment ora machine designed and configured to promote the distribution of seeds,composts, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides in thesoil.

Still with particular reference to FIG. 1 , the large and high capacityagricultural implement 10 comprises, in this example, multiple plantingline units 22 (e.g., 40, 61, etc.) arranged side by side along theentire longitudinal length of the structural chassis 16, which is formedby a central section 16 _(central), from which the side sections, orside wings 16 ₁, 16 ₂, are projected. The structural chassis 16 isconfigured to be arranged in the working condition, in which the sidewings 16 ₁, 16 ₂ are in the open position, or in the transportcondition, in which the side wings 16 ₁, 16 ₂ are folded or retracted,such as the movements indicated by the arrows (S).

Thus, in view of the context presented above, and with reference to theother accompanying schematic drawings, it is verified that the tow head12, according to the present disclosure, is basically formed by atelescopic central bar 14 and sidebars 15 ₁, 15 ₂, which are angularlyprojected from the coupling end 14 a. The sidebars 15 ₁, 15 ₂ areconnected to the respective side wings 16 ₁, 16 ₂ of the structuralchassis 16, and each sidebar 15 ₁, 15 ₂ comprises a reinforcement 17fastened along at least part of the longitudinal length of the sidebar15 ₁, 15 ₂.

Each reinforcement 17 fastened to a respective sidebar 15 ₁, 15 ₂,according to a particular embodiment of the present disclosure,comprises a structure with angled configuration, and may be, forexample, a corner including a V-shaped folded plate, which promotesheightened resistance and, at the same time, does not interferesignificantly in the weight of the sidebars 15 ₁, 15 ₂.

According to a particular embodiment of the present disclosure, eachreinforcement 17 is applied about ¾ of the total length of therespective sidebar 15 ₁, 15 ₂, which proves to be sufficient to provideheightened resistance and improve working conditions during theoperations of opening and closing the side wings 16 ₁, 16 ₂, as well asthe strain usually noticeable during the work of seed depositing andapplication of substances in the field.

These reinforcements 17 may be fastened to the respective sidebars 15 ₁,15 ₂ by means of appropriate welds or any other equivalent means capableof securely and firmly fastening them.

Optionally, according to another possible embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the reinforcement 17 can be equipped with supports 19intended for fastening and assembling clamps used to secure thehydraulic hoses of the hydraulic system of the agricultural implement10. Particularly, according to a possible embodiment of the presentdisclosure, each support 19 includes a hole 19 a, and each support canbe formed by a respective plate associated with the reinforcement 17.

Therefore, it turns out that the new proposal for the tow head 12 foragricultural implements 10, according to the present disclosure, managesto improve the working conditions of this equipment, but principallyavoids the risks of deformation and functional impairment ofagricultural implements due to overloads applied to the mechanismsresponsible for the operations of opening and closing the side wings 16₁, 16 ₂ and, therefore, substantially reducing or eliminating anyproblems that could interfere in the efficiency and productivity of workduring seed deposition and/or application of composts, fertilizers,herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides on the planting lines in thefield.

Additionally, as mentioned above, the present disclosure also refers toan agricultural implement 10 for the distribution of seeds, composts,fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides in the field, whichcomprises a structural chassis 16 that is supported by at least onewheelset 18 and also has tool bars 20 in which several planting lineunits 22 are installed. The structural chassis 16 is formed by a centralsection 16 _(central), from where side wings 16 ₁, 16 ₂ are projected.The structural chassis 16 is configured to be arranged in a transportcondition, in which the side wings 16 ₁, 16 ₂ are folded or retracted,and in a condition of operation or work, in which the side wings 16 ₁,16 ₂ are opened or extended, and the agricultural implement comprises atow head 12 as defined and presented above.

According to possible and particular embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the agricultural implement 10 can comprise over 40 plantingline units 22 distributed along the longitudinal extension of thecentral section 16 _(central) and side wings 16 ₁, 16 ₂.

According to possible embodiments of the present disclosure, thisagricultural implement 10 can be a planter, sower, composter, or asprayer.

Finally, considering all the above, it is important to highlight thatthe objective of this description is solely to present and define in anexemplary manner particular embodiments of the newly proposed tow head12 for agricultural implements 10, according to the present disclosure.Therefore, as persons skilled in the art will appreciate, severalmodifications and combinations of elements and equivalent details arepossible without straying from the scope of protection defined by theaccompanying claims.

While only certain features have been illustrated and described herein,many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art.It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intendedto cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the truespirit of the disclosure.

The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and appliedto material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature thatdemonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are notabstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claimsappended to the end of this specification contain one or more elementsdesignated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for[perform]ing [a function] . . . ”, it is intended that such elements areto be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claimscontaining elements designated in any other manner, it is intended thatsuch elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

1. A tow head for an agricultural implement, comprising: a telescopiccentral bar from which a plurality of sidebars is angularly projectedfrom a coupling end of the telescopic central bar, wherein each sidebarof the plurality of sidebars is connected to a respective side wing of astructural chassis of the agricultural implement; and a plurality ofreinforcements, wherein each reinforcement of the plurality ofreinforcements is fastened along at least part of a longitudinal lengthof a respective sidebar of the plurality of sidebars.
 2. The tow headfor the agricultural implement, according to claim 1, wherein at leastone reinforcement of the plurality of reinforcements comprises astructure with an angled configuration.
 3. The tow head for theagricultural implement, according to claim 2, wherein the at least onereinforcement is a corner comprising a V-shaped folded plate.
 4. The towhead for the agricultural implement, according to claim 1, wherein atleast one reinforcement of the plurality of reinforcements is applied on75 percent of a total length of the respective sidebar.
 5. The tow headfor the agricultural implement, according to claim 1, wherein at leastone reinforcement of the plurality of reinforcements is fastened on therespective sidebar through appropriate welds.
 6. The tow head for theagricultural implement, according to claim 1, wherein at least onereinforcement of the plurality of reinforcements is equipped with aplurality of supports configured to fasten to hydraulic hose clamps of ahydraulic system of the agricultural implement.
 7. The tow head for theagricultural implement, according to claim 6, wherein each support ofthe plurality of supports comprises a hole and is formed by a respectiveplate associated with the at least one reinforcement.
 8. An agriculturalimplement configured to distribute seeds, composts, fertilizers,herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides in the field, wherein theagricultural implement comprises a structural chassis supported by atleast one wheelset, the agricultural implement has toolbars in which aplurality of planting line units are installed, the structural chassisis formed by a central section and a plurality of side wings, thestructural chassis is configured to be arranged in a condition oftransport and in a condition of operation or work, and the agriculturalimplement comprises a tow head comprising: a telescopic central bar fromwhich a plurality of sidebars is angularly projected from a coupling endof the telescopic central bar, wherein each sidebar of the plurality ofsidebars is connected to a respective side wing of the plurality of sidewings; and a plurality of reinforcements, wherein each reinforcement ofthe plurality of reinforcements is fastened along at least part of alongitudinal length of a respective sidebar of the plurality ofsidebars.
 9. The agricultural implement, according to claim 8, whereinthe plurality of planting line units comprises over 40 planting lineunits distributed along a longitudinal length of the central section andthe plurality of side wings.
 10. The agricultural implement, accordingto claim 8, wherein the agricultural implement comprises a planter, aseeder, a composter, or a sprayer.